Unclear How President's Sanctuary City Crackdown Will Affect Nashville, Mayor Vows City to Remain 'Warm and Welcoming'

NASHVILLE, TN — President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order Wednesday cracking down on so-called sanctuary cities, according to sources who spoke with Patch. Details still need to be worked, but it's expected to include withholding federal funds to those local governments that offer sanctuary to illegal immigrants.

Nashville is not technically a sanctuary city — the Metro Council has not formally approved legislation prohibiting law enforcement from turning over illegal immigrants to federal officials for deportation — but in many ways, it functions as one anyway.

In the weeks after Trump's election, Mayor Megan Barry emphasized that Nashville is a "welcoming city," carefully avoiding the term "sanctuary city" in a statement.

Trump is expected to sign a series of immigration-related executive orders Wednesday at a town hall meeting at the Department of Homeland Security and more on Thursday. In a statement sent to Patch, Barry said Metro's Legal Department will carefully review the wording of the order to determine Nashville's status and again emphasized the Music City will remain "warm and welcoming."

"One thing I am sure of is that Nashville is stronger and safer when we are a warm and welcoming place for all. While we cannot control border policies here in Nashville, we can pull together as a city by embracing the immigrants and refugees who are an integral part of our community,” she said.

Trump's executive order is expected to strip federal block grants for law enforcement from sanctuary cities and counties, amounting to billions in spending. Tennessee has no official sanctuary cities or counties, but depending on the breadth of the order's definition, those funds may be at risk. Tennessee also has the distinction of having what is believed to be the first local government to specifically say it is not a sanctuary city with Mt. Juliet so declaring itself in December.

Additional reporting from Colin Miner in Portland

Image via the White House